The city of Boston is famous for chewing up and spitting out professional athletes. In Boston, championships are the expectation, and those who fall short? Well, they are often given a tough time.

However, the city also rewards hard work and determination, even when those qualities don't lead to titles. Fans reward athletes who play with the same blue collar mindset that they go to work with each day.

Such is the case for former Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas, who is beloved in Boston despite never winning a title. Thomas has been showered with tribute videos upon returns to Boston in his playing days, has been applauded when in the crowd as a fan, and is now working for the organization in a scouting capacity.

And he now has his own exhibit at the Sports Museum in Boston.

Drafted with the last pick in the 2010 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings out of the University of Washington, Thomas spent 12 years in the NBA with the Kings, Phoenix Suns, Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, New Orleans Pelicans and Dallas Mavericks.

Don't let his end-of-career journey misrepresent the situation. Thomas was a great NBA player, and he was a star in Boston for three seasons from 2014-17.

With his small stature and big heart, Thomas averaged 28.9 ppg his final season in Boston and he helped lead the Celtics to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2016-17. They battled with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in that series. He got to the playoffs all three years with the C's.

Unfortunately, Thomas was injured in that last run, setting off a chain reaction for the end of his career. The Celtics traded him to the Cavaliers in the misguided deal for Kyrie Irving and Thomas was never quite the same after the hip injury, which caused him to bounce around between 2017 and 2024. The trade of him showed the cruel reality of NBA business. Thomas tried to play through injury, ruined his chance at a max contract in the process and was unceremoniously shown the door.

All told, he was a two-time All-Star and an All-NBA player. He averaged 17.5 ppg. 

Before Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown took over the Celtics, leading them to a title in 2023-24, Thomas was there, pulling the franchise back to relevance. 

He is remembered fondly for that by fans, and now, his time is on display in the museum.

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